It Was Never Meant to be This Way
by x Varda x
Summary: Teyla is being targeted and Rodney's just trying to help. But he always ends up being the one on the receiving end. Who's doing it? And, more importantly, why do they keep on hurting Rodney?
1. Monday

**Title:** It Was Never Meant To Be This Way  
**Pairing:** Rodney and Teyla, gen, but with large amounts of het UST  
**Rating:** 15 (T)  
**Disclaimer:** "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment.  
**Summary:** Teyla is being targeted and Rodney's just trying to help. But he always ends up being the one on the receiving end. Who's doing it? And, more importantly, why do they keep on hurting Rodney? Hurt/comfort/angst/friendship. Set towards the end of Season 2.

**Author's Note:** Written for **silver_galaxy** in the SGA Secret Santa fic exchange last year. It's about 20k in six chapters. Enjoy!

-o-

**Chapter One – Monday 5.45am, Atlantis**

Teyla sat on the balcony with her eyes closed as she drew in a deep breath of salty sea air. She allowed the first rays of brilliant sunshine to kiss her eyelids and caress her face as she meditated on the day ahead.

It was pleasantly warm, even though it was dawn, and she knew it was going to be another beautiful day.

Once the sun was a little higher, she decided that she had collected her thoughts sufficiently to start the day. She opened her eyes and gathered up her tea set and placed it in a small bag. She still enjoyed the taste and rituals of her homeworld, even though she no longer lived with her people. The Athosians had never gone home since the Wraith attack; feeling safer on the Lantean mainland than they ever had done before. But instead of making Teyla sorrowful about the loss, she found it calmed her; that even in her absence, she knew her people were well protected.

She headed back to her quarters, seeing a few early morning joggers on the way. They were all military personnel and she nodded in acknowledgement to each one that passed by.

She decided that she may as well complete her chores before breakfast, as she did every day. After all, the machines the Ancestors had created for cleaning cloth only took a few minutes to complete their cycle.

A few minutes later, Teyla stepped into the room with the haphazard banner on one wall. She pinched her face at the slogan and the name the people of Earth had given this particular space: 'Lantis Laundromat.

Teyla remembered Sheppard attempting to discourage Dr McKay from the name. But it was already in fairly wide use around the city by then, what with certain Majors not doing their laundry frequently enough to notice the name until it was too late and it had stuck.

Teyla shook her head and found herself smiling at the memory of Rodney's expressive face beaming in happiness when one of his own devised names was finally allowed to be used.

She stepped up to one of the machines in the row of five. They were golden brown, like the rest of the walls and devices in the city, and were as tall as Teyla. She opened the round door at waist level and unwrapped her bundle of clothing, placing it inside the large space within the machine.

She closed the door and the machine started on its own. Bright light flooded the interior chamber and glowed through the opaque door. She had once asked Rodney how the machines worked, as she had only ever washed her clothing by hand in river water. He had been rather rude to her, interspersing his fast and extremely technical explanation with comments about 'primitives' and 'cavemen.' Teyla had not spoken against him at the time, but he may have had a few extra bruises at the end of their next sparring session.

But that had happened before she had really got to know and like him as she now did. She would never do such a thing now, as she had learnt that although his words were often hasty and ill thought out, they always revealed exactly what he was thinking. She found his honesty and openness refreshing after spending most of her life trading with men and women who made a living by deception for their own gain.

That also meant that Rodney was unable to lie to Teyla. She could always tell if he tried by the way his eyes would rove and dart and he would nervously wring his hands together.

The machine suddenly started to hiss and whine. It had never made a noise in the past and Teyla frowned. As usual, she was the only one there, none of the people from Earth ever did their washing at this time of day and she was alone. It had also been several minutes and the cycle had not yet finished.

She approached the machine and considered reaching out and attempting to stop it, but then acrid smoke began to pour from the edges of the door.

She stepped back, suddenly unsure whether it was safe or not. She swiftly decided that it would be better not to think on such a thing for too long so she left the room.

She stood out in the corridor by the door and tapped her radio, "Teyla to the Science Labs."

There was a brief pause before a startled voice asked, _"Hmm, what? Oh, McKay here."_

Teyla was a little taken aback as to why her team mate was working so early when most of the people from Earth liked to sleep later into the morning, unlike the Athosians. She had viewed them as lazy at first, until she noticed that many stayed up very late, none more so than Dr McKay.

"Dr McKay, I am sorry to trouble you, I was hoping to speak with the Maintenance Team."

There was a pause and the whine of the machine in the room increased in both pitch and volume. A heavy sigh blew into Teyla's earpiece and she flinched. _"I've drawn the short straw to fix stuff today... lucky me!"_

Teyla frowned and replied dangerously, "Are you saying that you are unable to assist?"

_"No. No. What's up?"_

"One of the laundry machines is malfunctioning."

Rodney huffed again and Teyla's frown deepened. _"In what way?"_

"I am unsure. It sounds like it may be building up to an overload."

There was a pause, but Teyla did not hear any more sighs due to the level of noise now filling the corridor. She only just caught his next words, _"I'll get my gear and be there in a few."_

Teyla raised her eyebrows, "A few what?"

But he had already cut the connection.

True to his word, Rodney appeared a short while later. He looked grumpy and dishevelled. His hair was pushed up on one side and there was a red mark on the side of his face. The darkness of stubble shadowed his chin and rings of bruising encircled his bloodshot eyes. His jacket was crumpled and the hem of his shirt was messy and uneven.

Teyla furrowed her brow at his appearance and before she could do anything to prevent it, she felt a jolt of sympathy for him. Unlike a lot of the other humans, Rodney was a man who spent a lot of his time and energy in a seemingly endless quest to find better technology to help everyone; not only on Earth, but in the Pegasus Galaxy too. Although he was often over eager to sacrifice his own health to do so. It was clear to Teyla that he had had very little sleep and any he had managed to catch, had probably been taken at his desk where he had once again worked himself to exhaustion the night before.

That meant that no-one had roused him until her call this morning – were there not night teams who checked on the labs? Did they not think to wake him and make him return to his quarters for proper, much more restful sleep that he so desperately needed but always deprived himself of?

He shot her a lopsided smile in greeting and she tilted her head towards the room. The noise was now such that speech was impossible.

Rodney stepped past her and walked through the door. Teyla was alarmed that he did not seem to have considered his own safety and the potentially dangerous machine within. It was either bravery of foolhardiness, but she knew that there was probably no other way to prevent the imminent overload, and he was therefore being very valiant not to even hesitate to assist her.

She followed him inside, just in time to watch as he pressed a few controls on an open panel of the machine and the door sprung open. It smacked into his midsection and he staggered backwards and dropped the tool he was holding.

Teyla quickly ran over to him and caught him by the shoulders before he fell. The machine instantly wound down and the light turned out due to what Rodney had done to it.

"Dr McKay... Rodney, are you alright?" Teyla asked as he stopped moving back under her guidance, straightened up and fully bore his own weight once more without assistance. She considered calling for medical help, but she opted to wait for Rodney's response, as he was well enough to still be conscious.

He clutched his middle and winced, Teyla could feel how taut his muscles were against her hands as he hunched his shoulders in an innate reaction to curl around the pain.

He coughed and nodded, "I think I just broke about ten ribs and ruptured my spleen, as well as getting squirted with acid, but at least your washing's done I suppose."

Teyla did not take the comment about the extent of his injuries too seriously, as she knew by now that he was probably alright if he was still able to stand, and had enough breath to complain without any apparent difficulty. She let go of him and walked around to examine his front. There was a darkened stain on his jacket, which had also splotched through to the shirt underneath. In close proximity, she found that his scent was of sleep and coffee, but a new, far more unpleasant tang was beginning to overwhelm the mainly natural male aroma surrounding him.

He dabbed at the patch with his sleeve pulled down to protect his hand and Teyla said, "It would only take a minute for the liquid to be removed using one of the machines. You could wait while the cycle completes."

Rodney's face abruptly altered from an expression of tiredness and pain, to one of wide-eyed nervousness. He brushed his hand over his chest in a vain attempt to clean off the liquid, and cleared his throat with his eyes averted. He stuttered, "No no no, it's fine. I'll just head back to my quarters and get changed."

Teyla narrowed her eyes and frowned. She had never understood the strange modesty and self-consciousness which surrounded many of the people from Earth. Rodney appeared embarrassed at the prospect of removing any clothing in front of Teyla and it puzzled her. She said, "It is only me, Rodney."

He shrugged with a wince and mumbled, "Alright. But no peeking!" He stepped over to one of the other machines and peeled off his jacket.

Teyla went back to her machine and retrieved her clothing. She allowed herself a small indulgent smile when she was sure Rodney could no longer see her face.

It turned out that her clothing was clean, dry and smooth, as though nothing had gone wrong with the machine. She would have to ask Rodney to make sure he repaired the machine or placed a sign to prevent anyone else from using it. Perhaps he could do it while his own clothes were being cleaned?

She heard him hum behind her before he said, "That's odd. This machine would've exploded too, as it has the same component unplugged as the one you were using."

She and frowned as she turned to him and asked, "Do you know why that would be?"

She was greeted by a red-faced and very flustered, shirtless Rodney glaring at her. "I said _no_ peeking!" He shouted as he quickly lifted his arms up to cover the humiliation of his bare chest and abdomen. She had already seen him though. His exposed skin was incredibly pale, except for the light dusting of hair, and the slightly indented and angry-looking red line running down his middle from where the door had struck him a moment ago. He was going to have painful swelling and bruising there very soon, which would no doubt make him more irritable than usual.

Teyla turned away and had the courtesy to blush. "I am sorry. I am also curious as to why the machine went wrong and yet my clothing is fine."

Rodney sighed sadly and replied, "I don't know yet. I couldn't tell from what I saw in the brief moment before it flew open and smashed all my insides up. I had a look at the circuitry, but there's nothing wrong with it apart from the unplugged component. I'll have to have a word with the useless, incompetent maintenance..."

He abruptly stopped talking, but Teyla did not look at him again to find out why, as she had no desire to make him feel uncomfortable again. She asked, "What is it?"

Teyla heard Rodney open the door, but there was no impact noise of it striking flesh this time. "Hmm, that's strange. Maybe there's something wrong with all of them?"

Teyla neatly folded her clothes and Rodney said, "Erm, you can look now."

She did so and nodded to him, where he now stood in a much crisper, freshly washed shirt and jacket. She said, "Thank you for your assistance, Rodney."

He gave her a small smile and indicated the machine he was using and the one next to it which had its panel hanging open too just as Teyla's did. "I'm going to stay here and check them all over."

She gestured towards his middle with her free hand and continued, "You may wish to delegate the repair work to one of your colleagues and perhaps take some time to visit the infirmary and have your injuries tended."

Rodney moved his arm up and held it against himself. The fingers of his other hand he held by his side twitched and he looked away as he shook his head, "I'll fix the machines first and then go."

Teyla doubted whether he was telling her the truth, but bade him farewell, knowing that if he was really hurt he would seek medical attention. She made a mental note to check on him every few hours to be sure that he was not suffering unnecessarily. She then retired back to her quarters to drop off her clothes before heading to the Mess Hall for breakfast.


	2. Tuesday

**Chapter Two – Tuesday Afternoon, Atlantis**

Teyla found that she was unable to contact Rodney via his radio when he was late to his training session. So she left her gear in the gym, so that no-one else took the room in her absence, while she sought out the wayward scientist. She was only mildly surprised to find him in the science lab, on the floor, on his back, halfway under a fairly large Ancestral machine.

He was grouchy and annoyed, but she soon had him up and they went via his quarters where he got changed. Teyla usually liked to stay behind afterwards to practice on her own, but still insisted that Rodney stayed for the full length of time they had booked, even with his forgetful lateness, which she had a suspicion may have been intentional. Thirty minutes of intensive training, sparring and exercises.

Now they were facing each other in the gym. Teyla spun her bantos easily and struck Rodney lightly in the side where he had left himself exposed and vulnerable. He released an, 'Oomph' sound as he staggered away from the blow. No matter how many times they repeated the sequence, he still could not get the moves correct. He was either unable to remember or was distracted by something else. Instead of watching her, he often ended up watching the sticks, and was caught off guard many times.

He winced and grumbled, "If I wanted to be knocked about, I'd go back to that last planet we visited and wave a pink flag in the marketplace. You know I bruise easily? I've probably got internal bleeding by now!"

"I am not striking you that hard, Rodney," she replied serenely, executing the Strike of the Skyfallen Swords in the air, but not against him as that would have been too cruel and would probably break several of his bones. "If you do not wish to be hurt, improve your blocks and stance. Your left arm is weak and drops, exposing your flank." He did it again as she spoke and she smacked his side with her stick. He grunted in pain and flinched away from the impact.

He growled in anger as she glared at him and turned her bantos for another attack. "Weak..." he said gutturally.

As a sparring partner, both verbally and physically, Teyla often found Rodney to be a vexing opponent, but she found him equally interesting, as he was so unlike anyone else she had ever spoken or fought with.

She used one of the sticks to deliver a light blow to the side of Rodney's chest, which made a hollow thud as the stick connected with his ribs. He had tried to carry out the Parry of the Wraith-Killer as her attack came in, but he did not yet have sufficient skill to complete the second block.

He cried, "Ouch! What was that for?" as the impact made him unbalance and fall down.

He grabbed hold of her as he went and they landed in a sprawled heap, with her on top of him. Her knee unintentionally landed in an intimate place and Rodney sucked a breath through his teeth and pushed her off quite roughly with a sad little 'ouch.' He rolled onto his side and curled himself into a tight ball on the ground, with his legs bent up protecting his groin and his hand holding the side of his chest.

Teyla did not think she had hit him very hard, and she had been working to fight past his fairly sturdy defence when he abruptly and very unexpectedly dropped his guard away from his body and allowed the stick to strike him.

She crouched down and gently felt along Rodney's ribs on the side she had hit. The only movement she felt as she gently traced her hand over the ridge and groove of each bone as she tested them was the entirely natural expansion and contractions of his ribcage through breath. She thought him unharmed and announced, "There do not seem to be any breaks."

"What are you, _Doctor_ Teyla, now?"

She pursed her lips and helped him upright when he waved his hand at her to indicate that she may do so.

He straightened up and Teyla retrieved his sticks where they had flown from his hands and passed them back to him.

He limped a safe distance away from her. She thought she heard him muttering about children, or lack thereof, with his face bright red in embarrassment and pain.

He complained, even as he brought the sticks up to guard himself once more, "I swear I can feel my broken ribs grating inside me and stabbing my lungs." He opened his mouth and asked, "Is there any blood?" He coughed onto the back of his hand as he held it in front of his mouth and showed her as he asked, "Am I coughing up blood?"

Teyla shook her head, "No, Rodney. You are fine."

He set his face set in taut, yet slightly bitter determination, his features becoming astoundingly handsome in concentration. His jaw line was smooth and strong for talking quickly and eating, and his blue eyes were intense and mysteriously beautiful in their exotic brightness as he watched her carefully.

Their sticks clashed together, but despite Rodney's best efforts, Teyla was still able to deliver a jab into his solar plexus where he left himself wide open to attack. He cried out in pain and bent double, wheezing and coughing. She lowered her sticks in concern, but kept on guard in case he was pretending.

She asked, "Are you alright to continue, Rodney?"

He drew in a shuddering breath and straightened up. He clenched his eyes closed and then opened them with his brow deeply furrowed as he muttered, "Despite the horrible, _horrible_ pain you are inflicting on me, I somehow don't think you'd let me rest even if I asked to."

Teyla narrowed her eyes in confusion. That was not entirely true. They were not on a battlefield after all and if Rodney was hurt unnecessarily during a sparring session, she knew that John would be very unhappy with her. She watched and examined his body language and expression for indicators that he was seriously hurt. Unable to see any signs that he could not continue, she weighed her words and replied, "You are correct. The enemy would not allow you to rest until you were overpowered and either eliminated or captured."

Rodney grimaced and mumbled heavily, "Now I know who to turn to when I want some friendly uplifting advice. Or if I want someone to prod my bruises to see whether they still hurt and by exactly how much."

Teyla stood aghast. She had forgotten about the injury that he had sustained while helping her only the day before. Why he had kept their sparring appointment, she did not know. Perhaps he felt like he needed to prove something, or that he would let her down by cancelling. Or maybe he thought that he would be showing weakness in not attending. That he felt that way about Teyla made her slightly angry. She was also saddened that he felt he could not turn to her when in need of leniency, which was of no inconvenience, nor would diminish her opinion of him as a person.

Rodney McKay was a very complex man indeed, she decided.

It was now beyond the time when their session had been scheduled to finish anyway, and she would have been sparring alone by now. She lowered her sticks right down and said, "I should never have allowed you to train today. We are finished."

Rodney glared at her, "I'm not completely pathetic if that's what you think of me! I can carry on, just give me a moment."

Teyla said calmly, "I have never thought of you that way. And I never will." He looked away from her, his face softening slightly as she continued, "You have great strength..." _not so much of the body but_ "...of the mind. That is a powerful weapon which will destroy many foes where neither stick nor physical prowess would ever succeed."

Rodney frowned in confusion, "Erm, thanks... I think..."

Teyla smiled. "I have an Athosian balm which will help with your bruising. I brought some in my bag if you would like to take it. I have used it in the past and it has worked quite well."

Whether he realised that Teyla herself had just admitted weakness in that she got hurt too, she was unsure. He was a very intelligent man though, so was probably just deciding not to comment.

He asked, "It doesn't have citrus in it, does it?"

"I do not believe so, but if you would feel better, I am sure Dr Beckett would not mind checking it for you."

Rodney did not reply, but merely smiled in gratitude.

She inclined her head towards him, "You have permission to retrieve it from my bag, if you do not mind, I am going to stay a while and practice alone."

Rodney wandered over to the bag quite stiffly. He was only a couple of metres away when there was a sudden loud bang and a gust of air forced Teyla to the floor. Her ears rang and she was disorientated for several seconds before she remembered where she was and deduced that the air that had pushed her down had in fact been a blast wave likely to have emanated from a bomb. Aside from her slightly ringing ears and pounding heart at the shock, she was unharmed. But Rodney had been much closer and she had not yet heard from him.

She coughed as smoke and the smell of burning filled the room at a rate that the environmental systems could not compensate for. She called out into the haze, "Rodney?!"

There was a low moan and Teyla headed towards the sound. She saw a figure lying on the floor and crouched down next to Rodney's still form where he had landed on his back. She took in his blood streaked face, tight with pain, and tapped her radio, "Medical team to the gym!"

She called Sheppard as well, informing him of the explosion and that she was unsure whether they were safe. But he already knew about it and had mobilised a team to get there on the double to check the area. He told Teyla to move out of the room if she was able.

"Rodney is hurt," she replied.

John's voice dropped in concern, _"How seriously?"_

Teyla did not want to risk retrieving a towel from her bag in case there was another device in there, so she tore some material from the long drapes forming a skirt around her legs and gently dabbed at Rodney's face, trying her best to staunch the flow of blood as well as clean it away so that he could breathe. He was completely unresponsive now and his face had slackened in unconsciousness, while the gentle rise and fall of his chest assured her that he was still alive.

"I am unsure," she replied to John while she worked. "He was thrown backwards by the blast. He is bleeding from the nose, ears and mouth. I have called a medical team to assist."

At that moment the security team arrived, along with Sheppard himself. The medical team followed shortly afterwards. The room was quickly scanned and searched and deemed safe, but Sheppard still ordered a full investigation.

Teyla stayed with Rodney while Carson checked him over. She hid her concern as best she could, but she was deeply unsettled by the sheer amount of blood covering him and now seeping into the collar of his shirt and into his hair where it was running over his skin.

They lifted him up onto the gurney and Teyla baulked in shock at the pool of blood on the mats where Rodney had just been lying. Carson did a better job than she had at wiping away the blood from Rodney's face to apply an oxygen mask. He announced, "Breathing is normal, heart rate is elevated and blood pressure is a little low."

He glanced around at his team and espied Teyla watching them work, and Sheppard was also looking on in worry. Carson turned back to his patient and said, "It could just be a few burst blood vessels from the concussive blast, or it might be something more serious. Let's get him down to the infirmary to run some scans." He turned back to Teyla, "I think you'd better come too, Lass."

Teyla felt an unpleasant heavy knot of apprehension in her chest as she followed them down to the infirmary to be checked over. Rodney was still breathing on his own, but his unconsciousness did nothing to ease her anxiety, nor the steady pulse of the headache forming at her temples.

----------

As it turned out, Carson's initial diagnosis had been correct. He told Teyla along with Sheppard, Ronon and Dr Weir, that Rodney had suffered no internal damage and his lungs were sound. He had a mild concussion which had caused his unconsciousness. He had bitten his tongue to cause the bleeding from his mouth, but the fluids they were providing would soon have his blood pressure back to normal after the fair amount of blood he had lost. He was on oxygen and Carson had decided to keep him in for the rest of the day and overnight under observation to make sure he did not have a secondary reaction or in case they had missed something.

Teyla's examination was normal, except for the slight headache she had had since the explosion, which was increasing in intensity with every passing minute. She was informed by Carson that it may only be a headache now, but it could be hiding something more serious, so they decided to keep Teyla in too.

While Carson and his team tended to Rodney, Elizabeth called the others into the lab next to the infirmary for a meeting. Teyla was able to get up unaided and accompanied them.

Elizabeth turned to John first and asked, "Do you know what happened yet?"

"The investigating team said it was a grenade that went off, likely to have been triggered by a timer. It was in Teyla's kit bag."

Teyla furrowed her brow. How had it come to be with her gear?

Elizabeth turned towards Teyla and asked, "Do you have any ideas who would've done such a thing and why my Chief of Science is now unconscious in the infirmary?"

Teyla shook her head, "I am afraid that I do not know."

Elizabeth deflated and Sheppard looked pensive.

Ronon turned to Teyla and asked, "Were they trying to kill you or McKay?"

Teyla suddenly widened her eyes as her memories came back to her. "This is not the first incident which has happened."

Elizabeth looked at her dangerously, but Teyla did not allow the poorly veiled emotion to deter her or make her alter her voice at all. "I was targeted yesterday too. I am the only one who uses the laundry room before breakfast, and all the machines were damaged in the same way to cause an overload. Rodney came when I called for assistance. He was hit by one of the doors and bruised, but not seriously enough to seek immediate medical attention."

John did an even worse job at concealing his annoyance than Elizabeth as he asked, "And you didn't report this because...?"

Teyla looked at him, "Rodney assured me that it was probably due to one of his, how did he put it, _inept,_ staff."

John smirked and mumbled, "I doubt that's exactly what he said, but fair enough." He turned to Elizabeth, "With your permission I'm going to post a guard on Teyla and McKay until we find out who's responsible for this."

Elizabeth nodded, with her mask firmly back in place. "I agree."

Dr Weir and Ronon left then, leaving Teyla alone with Sheppard.

Teyla looked behind her, out into the infirmary where she could now see that Rodney was settled in, but still with numerous medical staff hovering and making sure he was comfortable while others took readings.

She turned back to John and said, "I do not need a guard, but Rodney does."

"I know. I've already put one on him."

Teyla smiled at how he had done so even before Dr Weir's approval. "That is good to hear. But I am worried for him. He has been hurt twice now while he has been around me. Had he been any closer to the detonation the second time, he would have been killed. I fear it may happen again if I am not careful and we shall not be so lucky next time."

"It wasn't your fault. And anyway, I think it's you who needs to be worried. Someone's obviously targeting you."

"I am well aware of that, John."

They stepped out into the infirmary and Teyla saw that there was already a guard in place watching over Rodney while he slept.

John looked at Rodney for a while before he excused himself, citing that the investigation required his expertise to make sure it had a swift result. Teyla wanted to assist, but decided to allow him to carry on while she recovered, as he was better versed in protocols and the information which would be required to track down the perpetrator. She also had a terrible headache brewing, and doubted that she would be able to concentrate for long enough to be anything other than a hindrance. She therefore decided that she might as well heed Carson's advice and stay in the infirmary overnight with Rodney, partly so that he was not alone, but also so that he did not feel abandoned when he awoke.

Teyla settled herself onto her own bed and waited while Rodney drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. Carson kept on coming over and asking him many questions, to make sure that he was well. Although Teyla heard his voice rise in irritation more than once and smiled to herself as that indicated that Rodney was going to be fine.

It was very late when Teyla saw Rodney beginning to stir on his own. She sat down in the chair beside his bed and looked at him. He had been dressed in white scrubs as the clothes he had arrived in were now ruined with blood; although nothing that a good cycle in the Lantean washing machine would not be able to remove. His eye sockets were bruised and his face was very pale. There was a tube under his nose and one snaking round from the bag of clear liquid on a stand by the bed and taped to his hand. Leads went under his shirt at the collar and she knew they attached to his chest to monitor his heart.

She furrowed her brow at his stillness and leant forwards. She ran her hand over his forehead and down the side of his face in a soothing gesture and his eyes fluttered and then opened when she removed the touch.

He appeared unfocused and dazed for a few seconds, until she said, "Rodney?"

"Hmm?" He lazily tilted his head over towards her and then the glaze over his eyes vanished as she saw the flash of recognition. "Teyla." He lifted his head up and peered down at himself. He suddenly winced and shut his eyes as he allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow.

"Are you alright? Would you like me to call Carson?"

"Headache..." He opened his eyes again after a while and asked, "Uh, what happened? Why does my head hurt and how did I get here?"

"There was an explosion in the gym. You were knocked out and have a concussion. Carson advised that, due to your injuries, it would be best for you to stay here until tomorrow."

Rodney turned to her and frowned, "But there's so much work to be done on the new device we found!"

"I am sure that it can wait one more day," Teyla said in exasperation with a small knowing smile.

Rodney winced and sighed. "Hmm, I remember there was a loud noise and then something like a train hitting me. But that's all."

He glanced around the room and spotted the soldier on guard. "What's he for? I don't think soldier boy's going to prevent bombs or tech malfunctions from killing me..."

Teyla raised her eyebrows.

"Uh, _us._"

She said, "Perhaps not, but if the assailant grows weary of their current tactics, then he will be able to protect you against a more direct attack. However, I believe that I am the intended target in this case." Teyla closed her eyes as a sudden throb of pain flared in her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Rodney asked in concern.

She opened her eyes to look at him. "I will be fine."

He frowned at her and sniffed. There was still a rusty tinge surrounding his nostrils and in his ears that the infirmary staff had yet to clean away. "You don't look it. Maybe you should stay here overnight too?"

"You are correct. I am feeling a little unwell, which is why I am also staying."

Rodney perked up a little at that and even managed to give her a small smile of his own. He suddenly became nervous and gabbled, "Alright, that's good. Well, not good in that you're hurt too, but nice that you're staying." He closed his eyes and blew out a long breath, before he looked at her once more and said, "Get Carson to give you some of his drugs."

Teyla smiled at him, "I am sure the pills he provided me with will be sufficient."

Rodney looked back at her incredulously. She had yet again admitted weakness in front of him, the second time that day, and something he was probably not expecting or looking for. But to her surprise, she found that she did not feel guilty or ashamed about it. Rodney was a man who was honest and open about everything himself, so she felt that she was able to indulge him a little with some of her own truths, with the confidence that it would not lessen his opinion of her.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

She smiled at him as she leant forwards and took his hand in her own. His hand was pleasantly warm and she could feel the strength and dexterity there. She squeezed gently and he did likewise before they parted. "Good night, Rodney. Sleep well."

"Uhm, you too."

She could feel his questioning gaze upon her back all the way to her own bed. She allowed her veneer of calm and unreadable expression to shift where she knew no-one would see and smiled openly. She may have just admitted that she was human to Rodney and that she also felt weakness and pain. But he said nothing against her and did not look as though he thought any less of her as Ronon and Sheppard would if she said such things to them. He had not judged her or sneered at her and she found her heart uplifted as she settled into her bed for some much needed rest.

She just hoped that the guard upon them was not the one who was trying to kill her, or perhaps him, but knew that if he was, then she was ready. She would not trust anyone other than the members of her team until she found out who it was.


	3. Wednesday

**Chapter Three – Wednesday Morning, Atlantis**

The next day, Teyla was cleared to leave the infirmary very early so that she could carry out her morning meditation. The ceremony went by without incident. She decided to wait for a busier time before carrying out her washing that day though, so that she did not give her attacker a chance to use the same trick again.

At breakfast, she heard that Carson had now released Rodney, and Teyla made a note to visit him after her sparring session with Sheppard.

Later that morning, she went to Rodney's quarters, hoping that he would be resting within as Carson had advised. But there was no reply.

She clicked her radio, "Teyla to Sheppard."

_"This is Sheppard. Go ahead."_

"Are you aware of Rodney's current location?"

_"He's working in the labs."_

Teyla frowned and glared at the sealed door of the stubborn scientist's room before her. She asked, "And you let him, even though he is injured?"

_"Hey, you know McKay. He'd have to be half dead and chained to a bed in the infirmary to stop working."_

There was no-one around, so Teyla allowed her expression to relax. "Very well. I will attempt to coax him away to get some rest."

_"That'll be a good idea if we're still planning to go offworld in a couple of days. Carson needs to clear him and he won't get better if he works when he's exhausted and cranky."_

Teyla cut the connection and sighed quietly. Rodney McKay was a very challenging man to get along with and even more difficult to understand. She knew that Sheppard had a strange connection with the man and was able to decipher the puzzle of McKay. But Teyla was still learning, even after two long and trying years.

------------------

Teyla did indeed find Rodney in the main science lab. He was not shouting at any of his colleagues as she expected, but hunched over a laptop looking pale and drawn. The dark circles of bruising were still visible around his eyes and he was holding his midsection while he typed using his other hand. There were creases at the corners of his eyes where his skin was gathered together in lines of pain.

Teyla furrowed her brow and acknowledged the scientists she passed as she made her way over to Rodney. They were walking quickly and working in silence, as though they feared what Rodney would do or say to them if they made too much noise. Most of them looked relieved to see Teyla and the tension in the room visibly lessened as she walked towards McKay.

Rodney ignored Teyla as she approached and did not acknowledge her even when she stood closely enough to see what he was working on. She could not understand it and the characters scrolling across the screen made her feel nauseous even though her headache was much better today.

"Rodney?"

He flinched and stopped still with his eyes closed and his breath held. He clutched himself more tightly and then opened his eyes to look at her as he exhaled shakily. "Teyla! Give me a heart attack!"

Teyla frowned at him and lowered her voice, "I believe Dr Beckett advised that you should rest today." She glanced at the computer, "This does not look very restful."

Rodney grunted and turned back to the computer. "There's work to do to make sure none of these excuses for educated people make any mistakes. We don't want a repeat of the washing machine incident now, do we?"

"That would be... unfortunate. But surely Dr Zelenka is more than capable of leading the department for a single day if you are feeling unwell. I still have a further supply of the balm if Dr Beckett's painkillers are not able to lessen your suffering."

Rodney glanced around the lab nervously, as though he was afraid that Teyla was essentially calling him weak in front of them because he couldn't control or manage the pain he was in. He cleared his throat and turned to Teyla. He spoke pointedly so that his voice would carry to everyone in the room, "It doesn't hurt." He laughed bitterly and winced.

Teyla wasn't fooled for a second, but smiled kindly at him as she said, "Well in that case, would it be possible for you to come with me? I have something to show you that is of great interest."

"Can't you get one of the others to look at it? I'm really busy."

Teyla smiled warmly at him, "I would prefer you to personally have a look." She lowered her voice as she said, "Unless, of course, you do not wish to assist me yourself?"

Rodney narrowed his eyes at her, but Teyla was a skilled diplomat and negotiator, so well versed in concealing her emotions. Detecting no trace of a lie or trick, Rodney's sceptical expression faded back into weariness and he sighed as he glanced at his computer. "Alright. Just let me grab my gear."

Dr Zelenka came over and asked, "Would you like me to accompany you?"

Teyla shook her head, "That will not be necessary."

Zelenka's eyes widened as Teyla briefly revealed some of her true emotions. He nodded and backed away. "Very well. I will keep Rodney's seat warm while he is assisting you."

Teyla quickly set her face in neutrality again when Rodney returned carrying a small toolkit. She attempted to take it away from him, but he held on tightly as he grumbled angrily, "I can carry it! You're not my mother or my babysitter.

"No, but the man over there is." She indicated the guard standing watch over McKay from the other side of the room.

"Oh, _him._ Well, he's already getting on my nerves. I certainly don't need two of you following me around like I'm completely oblivious and need to be prevented from bouncing off walls!"

But no matter what he said or believed, he _was_ terribly exposed and vulnerable, especially if his headache was still as bad as Teyla's. He was unarmed and very often got so distracted that he ignored important clues and hints.

She led him to Level 15 and into an empty lab, intending to throw off anyone who would try to follow them. The room led to a sun facing balcony, and where the brightness streamed in, it cast its glowing light upon everything. Rodney followed her inside, whipped out his hand scanner and paced around while he intently stared at the screen.

Teyla observed him as he did so, waiting for him to realise. She did not like the deception necessary to get him away from the labs and resting as he should be doing. But she felt that he was her responsibility as it should have been her in his place where he had unwittingly protected her from serious injury by getting hurt himself.

His face was animated at first, and she watched as it gradually fell; his eyebrows went first, then his mouth downturned, and finally he stopped moving altogether and looked up at her. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "There's nothing here."

"I apologise. I believe that in my haste I may have led us to the incorrect room. Please, follow me."

Rodney raised his eyebrows and his eyes sparkled, but he pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded. "Alright. But I don't have all day for you to make up your mind as to where this fantastic new discovery actually is!"

He talked all the way there, mainly interrogating her about the room and what was inside. Most questions were ZPM related, but Teyla skilfully evaded giving any answers, no matter how hard he pressed and pushed her. She found him to be most irritating, and he sometimes even prompted a desire to do physical violence towards him. Teyla often wished to smack him for being so annoying, but as usual her collected calmness prevented her hand from doing the deed no matter how strong the urge. She had little trouble in staying her hand today though, as she knew that Rodney had already suffered and was still in pain from his injuries.

They were soon in the second room. The door slid shut behind Rodney as he wandered inside, staring avidly at his scanner.

He was still looking at the scanner when Teyla placed a hand on his chest to still him. He stopped and looked down at where she was touching him and then glanced up into her eyes curiously.

"Uhm..." His eyes darted around the room and his mouth dropped open as he looked at Teyla, "Oh." He suddenly looked painfully shy and nervous as he stuttered, "Why are we in your quarters?"

She smiled at him and lowered her hand. Deception was the only way to help him unfortunately. He was too proud and stubborn to ask for help and would certainly never accept if it was offered.

She went over to her desk and lit a few candles before she retrieved the balm. "Please sit down," she gestured towards the bed. "I brought you here to show you how the balm can help with the injuries you have sustained and also to teach you a basic meditation to aid in pain management."

"What?!"

She laid a hand on his arm placatingly and said, "Carson has checked the balm and said it would be beneficial for your recovery, he is even considering adding it to the medicines in the infirmary once he has all the ingredients. It is the least I can do. It would be an honour for me to help you as you have now saved me twice from being more seriously injured at the expense of your own wellbeing."

He looked taken aback but managed to stand still. He asked abruptly "Are you hiding something?" He looked her over as though expecting something to jump out and grab him where she was concealing it behind herself.

"Why do you think that, Rodney?"

He put his scanner down on her desk, folded his arms and huffed. "Compliments. Sheppard always insults me, and Ronon... well, he doesn't say anything much to anyone and lets what I say roll over his head. I don't _think_ he's stupid, but it's hard to tell sometimes..."

Teyla felt her nostrils flare in anger, but kept her emotions sealed as she said sweetly, "I would be careful of the way you speak about Ronon. He is able to kill a man using only a single finger."

Rodney swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing up and down in his throat as he did so. Teyla watched his expression rapidly change from haughty indignation to instinctual fear. His eyes darted around the room again, wary that a tall Satedan warrior was about to jump out of one of the air vents and throttle him, but nothing happened.

Teyla patted his back gently and he flinched. "However, as long as I am here to guide you, I am sure you will be safe."

He shrugged and tentatively shuffled forwards. Teyla rolled her eyes and prayed to the Ancestors to give her the strength she needed for the lesson ahead.

Rodney sat down on the bed as directed and looked up at her meekly as she approached. She gestured towards his middle and said, "Please remove you shirt so that I may work."

He shot up from the bed like he had been electrocuted and held up his hands to fend her off. His deep red blush reached the tips of his ears and he muttered, "No no no! This isn't right! Y-you're my friend, and you're so beautiful, way beyond my league, so why are you trying to seduce me?!"

Teyla pushed down on his shoulder and he landed on the bed again with a thump. "I am _not_ attempting to seduce you, Rodney. If you prefer, I will give you the balm and leave. You may rub it in yourself and call me when you are finished."

He looked a little deflated by that. Teyla placed the container into his hand and continued, "But it is necessary before we start on the meditation as I do not wish for you to be distracted by the pain."

Rodney turned the container over in his hand and then passed it back to Teyla. "On second thoughts..." He looked down at his hands and then took off his jacket. He kept his eyes averted as he curled his fingers under the hem of his shirt and stiffly lifted it up and pulled it over his head.

He looked down at the floor as Teyla examined him and frowned at the purple and blue bruises mottled on his abdomen and the few smaller ones on his chest. She looked over the rest of him and found more bruising on his back. She started there; gently massaging the balm into his broad back. He flinched at first and then murmured.

She frowned and asked, "How did your back become bruised?"

"I don't know. Carson said some of the bruises are older. Probably from sparring or from that room we found last week with the moving walls." He tensed his shoulders and Teyla rested a hand on the warm skin and pressed down to force him to loosen up.

"You should take better care of yourself, Rodney."

"Easy for you to say."

"Take deep breaths and try to relax."

Teyla smiled and came around to face him. He held his arms against himself and she could see the redness of the flushed skin spreading down his chest. She gave him a warning look and he sighed before gingerly lowering his arms so that she could gain access.

She rubbed the balm into the bruising on his chest, in the place where she remembered hitting him the day before. His skin, although it looked sore, was unbroken and felt smooth and soft under her palms as she worked more of the balm into his abdomen where the worst bruising was. He tensed again and hissed, before holding his breath.

She placed her hand on his chest and said, "Keep breathing. Deep and calming breaths."

She ran her hands in expert circles over his warm belly, covering the soft and lightly quivering flesh in the balm. Rodney was breathing unevenly and tensed up and held his breath when Teyla's hands massaged the balm into the slight bulge just below his belly button above the waistband of his trousers. She found that touching him was strangely enjoyable and that his reactions made it even more so. His skin was delightfully smooth and reactive to her touch and the fine hairs trailing down his midsection added a certain roughness to the proceedings and set Teyla's mind at ease over his manliness, despite his whimpers and almost effeminate capacity to discuss and show his emotions. She had decided quite some time ago that she enjoyed that aspect of him too, and found it a refreshing change from the stoic soldiers and warriors she had spent a lot of her time with all her life.

Rodney's breath made his chest rise and fall jerkily, while he trembled under her ministrations. When she detected an increase in his nervous behaviour, she said, "It is alright, Rodney. You may relax, I am nearly finished."

He exhaled a long sigh which Teyla felt, as well as heard, through her hands. She retrieved his shirt and passed it back to him. "If you would feel more comfortable, you may dress again."

He hastily pulled the garment over his head and smoothed it down over his chest with a relieved expression.

Teyla came over and sat next to him. She motioned for him to sit cross legged and to face her on the bed as she sat in the same way.

Rodney grimaced and shrugged his shoulders a couple of times in quick succession. He scratched at his chest and then his abdomen and frowned. Teyla was about to query his oddly twitchy behaviour, when she began to feel an itchy burning sensation spreading out over her hands. She glanced down at her hands and baulked. They were red and blotchy and the burn was rapidly turning to pain.

She glanced at Rodney in horror and his watery eyes met hers in shock. He asked, "What's in that balm?"

She widened her eyes, "Nothing that has ever caused a reaction like this!"

Rodney started to tremble and water leaked from the corners of his eyes. Teyla tapped her radio, "Teyla to the infirmary."

"This is Beckett. What's up?"

Rodney was quaking by now as his tears tracked down his face. He suddenly keeled over onto the bed with a sob and hugged his forearms against his middle. Teyla kept her hands free as she placed an arm on the small of his back, where she had not rubbed any of the balm. "I am unsure. I have just tried using an Athosian balm on Rodney's bruises, but we are both having a reaction to it. There was nothing wrong with it yesterday."

"Are you able to come down?"

Teyla glanced at Rodney who had his eyes tightly closed and was panting with his teeth gritted. "I will try."

"Good, bring a sample of the balm with you too."

"We will be there soon."

Teyla pocketed the container and grabbed Rodney's hand with a flare of agonising pain up her arm which made her gasp. But Rodney had so much more of his skin covered that she could not imagine what he was feeling like. She pulled him upright and said, "I am so sorry, Rodney. Do you think you will be able to walk?"

He nodded and groaned. "I thought it was supposed to _help_ with the pain, not increase it!"

Teyla furrowed her brow as guilt made her insides squirm ferociously. "There is something wrong with it. It was fine this morning when I used some."

Rodney was barely conscious by the time they staggered into the infirmary. Many gloved hands relieved Teyla of her burden and lifted Rodney up onto a gurney. Carson grabbed the balm and took it to his lab to begin analysis. Teyla sat on the edge of another bed and gritted her teeth as she held her smarting and red hands up away from herself.

Rodney had his shirt cut away to reveal red and angry skin nearly hiding the dark bruises. Teyla gasped, "His back. There is more balm on his back too."

They rolled Rodney over onto his side and held him there. They also placed an oxygen mask over his face. His breaths were short and fast. But it was nothing like the anaphylactic reaction Teyla had been taught about. He was in pain though and through Teyla's own eye-watering agony, she felt a knot of worry and a deep sadness in her heart. She had been trying to help Rodney, but she had only caused him yet more pain and distress.

Someone must have switched the balm for something more dangerous while she had been searching for Rodney.

Another member of the medical staff placed an oxygen mask over Teyla's face, which made her feel a lot better, and she lay back. They took her arms in their thickly gloved hands and held them up so that she did not touch anything with her own hands.

Carson came back a few seconds later announced that the balm had a low acid content and they would need to have rapid treatment to prevent the burns from getting worse.

As it turned out, the acidic balm had not been as dangerous as it could have been as the medical team caught it early. It was more like bad sunburn once the acid had stopped melting through their skin and they had both endured a few hours of treatment. Carson said it should be healed in a day or two at most with the appropriate care.

Rodney and Teyla were advised to spend the rest of the day off this time, and not to touch or use the affected parts too much.

Rodney was too exhausted to do otherwise. His eyelids drooped as Teyla escorted him back to his quarters. She did not mind the two guards following them, where Sheppard had assigned one to each of them while he investigated the sensor logs to see if he could track whoever it was who had been in Teyla's quarters to switch the balm.

She helped Rodney onto his bed and he fell asleep even before she had removed his shoes and pulled the covers over him. She looked down at him as his mouth lolled open and he shifted and moaned in distress. She laid the unhurt back of her hand on the side of his face and leant down. She placed an apologetic, gentle kiss on his forehead and he stilled and became quiet as he slipped into a deeper and more restful slumber.

She watched him for a few more minutes and then left to meditate on the day's events. She no longer begrudged the marine following her, but felt the reassuring pressure of the knife concealed in the small of her back while she walked.


	4. Thursday

**Chapter Four – Thursday 7.15am, Atlantis**

Teyla walked along the breakfast table in the mess hall as she collected her morning meal. As she approached the tea making machine, she could hear Rodney behind her, muttering about his citrus allergy and useless co-workers under his breath.

Despite his complaining, which was done half-heartedly and fairly quietly by his standards, he seemed to be in better spirits this morning, although he was still moving stiffly and wincing every now and then. It was like he was really making an effort to try and be in a better mood today, even with his many ills.

He had agreed to their team breakfast, although he had had to be reminded and almost dragged from his computer in the lab. It seemed like he could not bear to part with the laptop, so much so that he had acted like he was about to lose a limb. He seemed to have been there a long time too, whether he had had any sleep or not, Teyla was unsure. His eyes were still faintly bruised which she deduced was either a remnant of the explosion a few days ago, or from lack of sleep.

The tea machine, a contraption fashioned by the Ancestors like so many of the devices used on Atlantis, was being particularly troublesome this morning. It did not provide any tea into Teyla's cup when she placed it underneath, so she put down her tray with a silent sigh and reached forwards to try loosening the top. But the moment her fingers brushed against it, the pressure from the steam which had built up inside suddenly made it fly off at a terrifying speed. As Teyla had been watching and alert, she was able to duck away from the spinning disc to avoid being decapitated, but Rodney, grumbling and preoccupied by the toast and jar of what he called 'homicidal' lemon curd, was not so lucky.

Teyla heard a muffled thud and a mournful yelp behind her. She spun around and watched as Rodney dropped his tray with a loud crash and she quickly grabbed the man himself to prevent him from falling too.

His eyes were tightly shut and his mouth was hanging open. She could already see the impact site; a large red mark stretching diagonally from his lower jaw, right the way up the side of his cheek, which could either signify a bad bruise at best, or a broken jawbone underneath.

"Ow!" he wailed, with a further pitiful complaint of, "Ow ow ow!" tacked on the end. He sniffed and winced and then glared at Teyla as though she was the one who had delivered the blow with her own fist.

"Rodney! Are you alright?"

He narrowed his eyes and moved away from her, breaking the grip, He immediately started speaking hotly though, which ruled out the likelihood of a broken jaw. "Do I _look_ alright?! I just got whacked in the face by a chunk of flying metal death!"

Many heads were turned as the gathered breakfasters intently watched the scene unravelling. Rodney was not exactly a quiet man, so Teyla was sure they could all hear every word he said.

She moved to get closer to him to make sure he was not seriously injured, but judging by his ability to speak, she could tell that he was annoyed... and probably fine.

Rodney backed up with one hand on his face and the other held out in front of himself to keep Teyla at bay. He glared at her furiously and said, "Just... just go away!"

"Rodney?" She took a step forwards.

"Stop! Every time you're around me I get bruised, beaten..." he raised a finger with each complaint using his free hand, "...burnt, blown up and now this! It's all just too much!"

Teyla paused and watched him with her brow furrowed as his eyes welled up in pain and despair. She said, "Rodney, I am truly sorry!"

"No. I can't take this." He rubbed his face and grimaced. "I'm going to the infirmary... yet again... to see if my teeth can be saved. Carson's getting fed up with it, but not as much as me."

Teyla said, "As it is my fault, I should come with you."

"No!" he cried, in a panicked shriek, and then he lowered his voice at the silence around him as everyone listened. "No. Stay away from me! I can't stand being hurt anymore. Until you've found out who's doing this, I'm not going anywhere near you again. I could get maimed or killed next time!"

Rodney spun around on his heels and stalked away, still muttering darkly to himself and holding his face.

Teyla jumped when a weight suddenly landed on her shoulder. She had been so distressed by Rodney's outburst, that she had not noticed anyone sneaking up on her. For a moment she thought it might be the attacker, finally targeting the correct person, even in the middle of the crowded mess hall, and she cursed herself for her lack of vigilance.

But when she spun around in a defensive stance, John Sheppard was there. He quickly released her and backed away with a sigh. He said, "Let him go. He's been through enough lately."

"I have to do something," Teyla replied, with a wistful look towards the door where Rodney had disappeared.

"Carson can look after him. Come and have something to eat and I'll fill you in on the progress of the investigation."

It took Teyla a moment to recover from her reverie. John was right of course, Rodney would be in good hands... if he made it to the infirmary and did not just return to the labs. She abandoned thoughts of having a cup of tea that morning and John ordered that no-one else touch the machine until it could be checked out. It may have just been a random malfunction, or it could have been yet another attempt on Teyla's life, with the repercussions redirected towards hurting Rodney yet again.

As it turned out, John had a very different definition of the term 'progress' than Teyla, as he told her in many words that there had actually been none. There were no cameras to show who had altered the washing machines, placed the bomb or exchanged the balm. The internal sensor logs showed life signs, but not who the life signs were and the perpetrator always went to communal areas with lots of people and became lost after they had done their deeds.

Cameras were now installed outside Teyla's quarters, so no direct attack could come that way again, at least, not without them knowing who had done it. Teyla's daily routine had been temporarily altered and adapted to change each day to throw off anyone trying to catch her out.

Once Teyla finished her breakfast, she excused herself to return to her quarters and prepare for her morning workout session.

After she was changed and ready to go, Teyla's door suddenly chimed. When she opened it, the last person she had expected to see was standing there.

"Rodney!"

He was holding an ice pack against his face and when he moved it away to give her a half-hearted wave, she winced at the sight of his face. He furrowed his brow at her reaction and averted his eyes sadly as he backed away a little. His cheek was purple and had some patches of dark red where blood vessels under his skin had burst. It looked extremely painful.

He turned his face to the side in shame, hiding the bruise, almost as though he thought the vicious and ugly mark marring his pale skin was somehow _his_ fault.

He kept his eyes closed as he said, "I shouldn't have run away like that." He looked up at her and rubbed the fingers of his free hand together nervously at his side as he squeezed the ice pack in his other hand. "I, uh, it's just that it... _hurts_ all the time, like a constant biting and burning sensation, and nothing I do makes it stop! Even Carson's painkillers don't quite cut it. He said he can't give me anything stronger without it knocking me out or making me as loopy as some of the scientists in my department."

Teyla furrowed her brow in understanding as he continued. "I thought... I thought that..." He suddenly shook his head and backed away until he was in the middle of the corridor. He suddenly became angry, and his voice went low and flat as he said, "No. This was a stupid idea."

He sighed and mumbled, "I shouldn't have come. Well, enjoy the rest of your day." With that, he attempted to walk away, but Teyla quickly jogged out into the corridor and up to him and grasped his arm firmly. He stopped and Teyla spun him around easily and gently pushed him against the wall and held him there by the fronts of his shoulders so that he could not escape.

She searched his face with her eyes and this time she made no reaction to the bruise which looked even more livid and sore at such close proximity.

She could almost feel the waves of sorrow coming from him and he only met her eyes very briefly in a question before he looked away again and sighed. She leant forwards and stood on tiptoes so that her forehead brushed against his. He obliged and tipped his head forwards so that she could relax. She could feel his breath on her neck and it made her skin tingle.

She continued to hold his shoulders and said, "I am sorry for what has happened, Rodney. But why are you here now?" Although she was fairly certain that she already knew the answer.

He pressed his head against hers more firmly and sighed heavily so that a gust of warm breath passed down Teyla's neck and over her chest. She shivered and he said, "I wanted to say _I_ was sorry."

Teyla moved back so that they were no longer touching skin, but kept her hands on his shoulders and slowly moved them down to grasp his upper arms. She could feel the softness of his flesh and the strength of the muscles tensing underneath as he shifted awkwardly.

She said, "You have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

Rodney looked away and blinked slowly. "I had no right to shout at you like that, especially not in front of everyone. It's not your fault someone's trying to kill you and always ends up getting me instead. I'm scared for you."

Teyla frowned, "And I am worried about you too, Rodney. But you are allowed to be angry when you get hurt. I would never hold it against you. Come."

She guided him over to the door to her quarters and he followed silently, moving the ice pack up and holding it to the side of his swollen face once again. She led him over to the bed and he sat down, just as he had done a couple of days ago.

He glanced at her nervously as she positioned herself facing him. He absently held his stomach with his free hand and asked, "You're not going to rub any more acid into me are you?"

Teyla gave him a small, mirthless smile. "Not today, no."

"Uhm, okay."

Teyla reached forwards and took his free hand in her own. She used both of hers to spread out his fingers and gently rubbed and massaged his hand. He allowed her to do so for a few seconds, but then he snatched it away and cradled it against his chest as though she had hurt him.

"What are you doing?" he snapped with a wince as his jaw movement made the ice pack slap against the bruising. "Are you trying to seduce me again?"

Teyla frowned at him and glared. "No. You have a very strange interpretation of events, Rodney. If I really wanted to be your mate then surely by now you would be flat on your back with me straddling you, would you not?"

Rodney looked away from her and his unhurt cheek turned rosy in a blush. "Well, when you put it like _that..."_ He looked at her with his eyes wide in fear as he said quickly, "We're still friends though aren't we?"

"I would hope so, yes."

He gave her a painfully shy smile as he said, "Besides, you're beautiful and kinda scary with those sticks so you'd never see anything in me anyway. I'm not exactly conditioned, what with being so soft around the middle, weedy and weak."

She reached forwards and placed her hand under his chin, she lifted lightly until he tilted his head up and met her eyes. She said, "You are anything _but_ weak, Rodney," and then let go of him.

"Then why does it hurt so much?" He scrunched up his face and hung his head down in anguish. He squeezed his eyes shut just after she saw they had become glassy.

Her heart twinged in sympathy for him so strongly that it felt like pain. She knew that even though his hurts appeared minor, everyone had a different perception of pain. She moved her hand up and cradled the unmarked side of his face with her palm. As she held him tenderly, he leaned into her touch and she ran her thumb over the rough, stubbled skin in a gentle back and forth stroking motion.

"It is understandable that you are upset. It is acceptable to be so."

Teyla lowered her hand and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "But I brought you in here to relax. Nothing more. Breathe slowly with me and try to clear your mind of all thoughts, especially those pertaining to the most recent events."

She heard Rodney take a single noisy breath and let it out in such a gust that she felt the loose strands of hair waving by her face and tickling her cheeks.

It was quiet and peaceful for a few seconds, and Teyla could hear that Rodney's deep breathing was now synchronised in time with her own.

Rodney abruptly broke the mood by nervously asking, "Am I relaxed enough yet?"

Teyla opened one eye in annoyance and looked him over. He had placed the ice pack down on the covers, which was promptly soaking them, but she refrained from remarking as her bedclothes would be dry by nightfall, so it was no hardship. Rodney was wringing his hands together, his face scrunched up and his shoulders tensed to the point where his posture was in the form of a permanent shrug.

Teyla sighed and silently asked the Ancestors to provide her with the strength of character not to lose her temper with this man as she leant forwards. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed down, "Relax." His shoulders slumped under her touch. "Do not think about anything. Do not worry whether you are doing it right or not. If you must think of something, imagine a clear blue sky or a calm ocean."

"No oceans," he said in fear. "Full of whales and crushing heavy water." He opened his eyes briefly and looked at Teyla's stern face. He closed them as he quickly added, "Skies are okay though. Big... blue... clear... wide open skies..."

Teyla checked him again a few seconds later, and his face was completely smooth. Despite the blemish of the injury, he was very handsome and appeared younger than she had ever seen him with his features no longer marred by stress or annoyance or anger, or more recently; pain.

She closed her eyes and carried on taking deep breaths in time with Rodney's.

A few minutes later, the calm was once again shattered by a low grunt. Teyla inhaled deeply and then there was another similar noise. She opened her eyes and saw that Rodney's mouth was open and his head was lolling forwards onto his chest. He grunted again and she reached forwards and patted his unhurt cheek gently. He was asleep and snoring.

She felt mildly put out that she had caused him to fall asleep as he opened his eyes and looked at her blearily. She frowned at him and scolded, "Complete rest is not the purpose of meditation. But perhaps if you are having trouble sleeping you should try it more often?"

Rodney smiled at her sheepishly and grimaced as he retrieved the ice pack and placed it against his face.

He stood up and said, "Well, uh, thanks for that, Teyla."

"It is quite alright, Rodney. I am here if you need me."

He nodded once and left her alone. She begrudged the loss of his company and looked down at the indentation on her bed where he had just been sitting. She felt strangely hollow without his warmth and the feel of his breath across her skin. But his scent lingered for a few more minutes even in the absence of the man himself, and she waited until it had completely dissipated before she carefully checked through her gear and headed to the gym.


	5. Friday

**Chapter Five – Friday 4.23pm, P3X-449**

Teyla walked behind Rodney and kept alert for danger while they headed towards the ruins. P3X-449, or Rokalla as the natives had lovingly called it, had been culled several years ago. The Wraith had left nothing alive and no-one had ever returned to claim the dead or raid the settlements. They had been simple dwellings built in and around a large ruin, and many still stood as a testament to those who had once lived there. As such everyone called it the haunted planet. But Teyla just found it mournful and sad.

It was cool and the sky was completely blanketed in dull grey cloud, which darkened the world. The landscape was barren and dead. Only a few shrubs grew here and there between the rocks and sand - another legacy of the Wraith attack. The carefully constructed river diversion towards the village had been broken down by time, or possibly weapon's fire, and now the tilled fields had vanished along with the once life-giving waters where they had gone back to their original course many miles away.

It was usually hot, bright and sunny, but it was now winter-time.

They had split up at the gate, John and Ronon had taken a few marines out for some offworld training, while Teyla and Rodney were sent to check out the ruins to see if there was anything worthy of their attention.

The bruise on Rodney's face was black today, and it prevented him from talking so much, which Teyla was grateful for. This place of death was one that should be treated with respect and solemn silence, which would not be achieved if Rodney had full use of his jaw.

Carson and John had both cleared him for the mission, as he was still fit enough to run or fight if necessary. She occasionally saw him open his mouth to make a comment as he waved his scanner around at the barren, rock-strewn valley where they were walking. But he could only shut his eyes and take deep, pain-managing breaths, just as she had taught him during their short meditation session.

They were now walking along the dry riverbed.

Teyla widened her eyes and looked around warily when several small pebbles were displaced nearby. They skittered down the slope with a sound like liquid and an echo of the past when real flowing water had filled the valley many years ago. The sound had come from the top of one of the valley's sides. Teyla grabbed the back of Rodney's tac vest and pulled him down into a crouch. She angled her P90 up towards the source of the sound.

Rodney broke the silence when he asked a little too loudly, "What's up?"

Teyla narrowed her eyes as a shadow appeared at the top of the hill and promptly vanished. She said quietly. "We are being hunted."

"By what?" Rodney asked shakily. "A scary animal?"

"No, something far worse," Teyla said, keeping her eyes on the top of the hill.

"What could possibly be worse?" he squeaked in an even higher pitched voice.

"A man."

"Oh." Rodney looked sidelong at her slyly, seeming to weigh up his words before he spoke. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"I am unsure what you mean."

"Don't play coy with me. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly stupid or naïve."

Well, that was open to debate sometimes, but Teyla gave him the benefit of the doubt. "You are correct. Colonel Sheppard has a short list of suspects. They are all with us on this planet."

"Flushing out the perpetrator. Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"I assure you Ronon and Sheppard are keeping an eye on us. We should be perfectly safe."

_"Should_ be?" Rodney whined, with his eyes darting around the area in bare-faced terror.

"They will do their best to make sure no harm comes to either of us. I much prefer them watching over us, rather than John or Ronon being with me."

"Huh," Rodney huffed.

Teyla deemed that danger had passed for now and stood upright once more, indicating that they could proceed.

As they neared the end of the valley and entered a flatter field with a few sparse trees, Rodney turned and glanced at Teyla. He picked at his tac vest in disgust as he asked, "Is that why Sheppard was so insistent on me wearing this heavy plated vest instead of the science one?"

"Yes."

Rodney stopped and held up his hands briefly. He looked at the grim sky and said, "I'm doomed."

"Thank you for your concern, Rodney," Teyla said in a voice that could not help but betray a little indignation.

"Oh, uhm, I meant; _we're_ doomed."

Teyla drew alongside him as he carried on walking. The ruins were now visible through the field, although the clouds had shrouded them in dark shadows just like everything else on the world. There were a few lonely trees around, which had long since lost their leaves in the final winds of autumn. That was another reason why the planet had been chosen; very little cover for an attacker.

Rodney suddenly stopped, and Teyla, who had been warily looking around rather than keeping an eye on him, bumped into him. He grumbled angrily and then muttered, "That's not very ninja."

"I am sorry. I was making sure we were alone."

"Well, we're not," Rodney said superiorly. He waved his scanner, "One life sign behind us. Just a solitary reading..." His voice changed into outright fear, "Where are Sheppard and Ronon? Where are the rest of the marines?" He turned around and looked at her with his eyes so wide in fear that Teyla flinched, but she found that she could not look away. "You don't know do you?"

Teyla furrowed her brow and tapped her radio, "Teyla to Sheppard. Ronon, come in please."

There was nothing. No reply and no static.

"This was a complete waste of time," Rodney muttered vehemently. "There's nothing here of any interest." He used a finger to jab the screen of the scanner angrily. "No energy readings, no worthwhile metal readings at all in fact. There aren't even any flowers or decent looking plants for the botanists." He glared at Teyla with his eyes burning. "If I wanted to be attacked, I would've stayed on Atlantis. At least the infirmary is close and Carson has the drugs ready to go."

Teyla placed a hand on his arm to stay him, but he shook her off with an angry huff and spun around. He quickly walked past her, in the direction back the way they had come.

The moment he was clear, she had no other choice but to turn and follow.

The air was suddenly split by a series of rapid popping noises. They broke the eerie silence, and were echoed soon after by another sound close at hand. Teyla heard the horrifying dull thumping sound of bullets slamming into living flesh as they hit Rodney instead of her. Had he not gone around her as quickly as he did, she would have been the one peppered with metal fragments rather than him.

The impact of the bullets into his body forced him to stumble sideways, but he didn't fall... at least not right away.

There were on screams or howls or cries from him. No complaints at all, in fact. What Teyla saw of Rodney's face, in that brief moment in time, was frozen in shock. His mouth was open and his bright blue eyes were wide and startled. In any other setting, his expression would have been mildly comical, but the situation was devoid of all humour by the rapidly spreading damp patch on the sleeve of his jacket, which dripped to stain the ground dark red with the only liquid it had received for many days. The parched earth greedily absorbed every drop of fluid that fell from him.

Rodney's face suddenly slackened and Teyla saw his awareness diminish as he retreated into himself. His eyes rolled back and slid shut like the very doors to his soul were slamming, as he bonelessly crumpled to the ground, spreading more blood around as he did so.

Teyla already had her gun up and was shooting the occasional bullet to cover them in their terribly exposed position. Rodney had been right to question, where were John and Ronon?!

She fired a few more single shots blindly at their attacker, who had not tried to shoot again, while she looked around for cover. The angle of entry of the bullets into Rodney's upper right arm and the direction he had been facing when he was hit gave her a rough location of the attacker as being back in the valley, probably atop one of the hills.

She curled her fingers around the handle on the back of Rodney's tac vest and began the arduous task of dragging his limp, heavy body backwards and behind a tree for cover. She could not help noticing that he left a very visible trail of darkness on the light coloured pebbles from the holes the bullets had made in him.

She soon had them both safely behind the tree and she tried her radio again, unable to avoid the slight waver of desperation her voice betrayed. There was still no reply. They were alone and Rodney was bleeding very seriously, but alive, for the moment.

She decided that she had better try to do something about it, attacker or no attacker, or he would die. She retrieved her knife and the bandages in both of their tac vests and laid them out on the ground. She hastily cut away Rodney's sleeve and baulked at the mess the bullets had made of his upper arm. It was clearly broken in at least one place by the way it was bending unnaturally. She decided that stopping the bleeding was more of a priority and cleaned away the blood with an antiseptic wipe. But as soon as it was clean, more blood oozed from the four holes she saw and ran across his skin, dripping to the ground underneath.

She grabbed the scanner and placed it on his chest, hoping that it would activate being in close proximity to him, so that she could make sure the attacker did not sneak up on them while she tried to save Rodney's life. It gave her a very small amount of relief when it _did_ light up and clearly showed two life signs in the middle, with a third at the outer edge. Whoever it was, they were not yet close enough to be a threat, so Teyla continued to tend Rodney's injuries.

He was losing blood at an alarming rate and she soon gave up on trying to clean the wounds and settled on wrapping a bandage around his upper arm as tightly as she dared. A tourniquet was the last option, as Rodney could well lose his entire arm if it came to that. She knew that he was be most upset if she was forced to do such a thing, and she knew that if he lost his arm, he would be sent back to Earth for sure and she would never see him again. It would destroy his life and happiness. Whether he would rather die though, was not up to her. She would find a way to save him, but he had not yet lost enough blood for her to seriously consider it.

He had still not woken up, which was worrying, but also a small mercy as she had no desire to see him suffer any more pain, and he would be terrible if he was awake judging by the wounds. She was unsure exactly how many times he had been hit, and cursed the humans of Earth for creating such horrendous weaponry, even though her own P90 had saved her and the lives of her team many times. Hitting a Wraith with rapid fire bullets was one thing, but using the same gun to take the life of a man who had done nothing to deserve such a fate, and a civilian scientist at that, was unacceptable and horrifying.

She patted the unbruised side of Rodney's face when she had finished and called out softly to him, "Rodney?"

He coughed and shuddered. Teyla leant forwards to examine his pale face more closely and her eyes widened in horror when she saw speckles of blood against his rapidly bluing lips.

She moved quickly and efficiently, not allowing her fear to make her hands shake as she unzipped Rodney's vest and carefully removed it. His right side was covered in blood, but she had thought it was just from his arm and that the vest, along with the arm itself, had protected his torso from any major injury. She used her knife to cut away his jacket and shirt and her hands were soon bloodstained and slippery. There were several large and colourful bruises where the vest _had_ prevented the bullets from going through, but a single bullet had punched through the cloth and flesh of his arm and then passed right through the gap in the armoured vest just beneath his armpit to become a great threat to his life. It was lodged in his chest somewhere, deeply enough to have punctured his lung based on the blood he had just expelled from his mouth.

There was hardly any blood leaving the wound, but he was struggling to breathe to such an extent that Teyla feared the next one he took may well be his last. Teyla quickly grabbed a special bandage from her vest and placed it over the wound just as Carson had instructed them on how to manage penetrating chest injuries. She taped it down securely and Rodney's breathing eased a little and some colour slowly seeped back into his lips. She wrapped the tattered and sodden remains of his clothes back around him and glanced at the scanner again where it rested upon Rodney's chest. The life sign was coming nearer and her hand moved up instinctively and tensed on the trigger of the P90 still clipped to her vest.

Not wanting to hurt Rodney further, but knowing that she had to do something to keep him strong and fighting and alive, she patted his face and said imperiously, "Stay with me."

He twitched and mumbled, "Why, where am I going?"

"You have been shot, remember?"

"Uhm, not really." He coughed and winced and then licked his red-spattered lips. He grimaced with his eyes narrowed up at her. "Blood?"

Teyla nodded grimly.

His eyes suddenly flung open wide in fright, "Th-that can't be good."

"It is not, but I will soon have you back on Atlantis and in the hands of Doctor Beckett, who has many drugs, so I have heard. Do you think you would be able to sit up if I assist you? It will ease your breathing."

"I'll try," he said sadly.

"Hold this." She retrieved the scanner from his chest and placed it into his left hand.

Teyla found that his body was a dead weight in her arms, but he tensed up when the movement made a tender place shift and it caused him pain. He was panting by the time they were finished and he was propped up against the base of the tree, it was a nasty wheezing noise deep inside him that unsettled her. She felt something twist in her gut, like an irresistible animalistic urge... or _need_ to reassure and comfort him. So she moved her arm across his shoulders to support him and hugged him gently in a gesture of friendly affection, which he would probably never have allowed if he was not so badly hurt, at least not without believing that she had some ulterior motive for doing such a thing.

As he leaned against her, she manoeuvred his left hand up between them so that the scanner was visible. Rodney gazed at the screen blearily and asked quietly, "I can't see it properly. Is he still after us?"

Teyla sighed and nodded. She felt a small tremor run through Rodney where she was holding onto him tightly and her side was firmly pressed against his unhurt, one.

He started muttering a mantra in a broken and faltering voice. "Ow ow ow ow..." She looked at him and watched as his lower jaw trembled.

She could see that he was not only scared, but in a great deal of pain. He suddenly stopped and looked at her in sadness. "Please... I don't want to die." He let go of the scanner and grasped her arm. She could feel the weakness of his grip through the effects of the high volume blood loss. He looked at her fearfully as he said, "Please, don't leave me or let me die."

"It is alright. If there is anything I can do to prevent your passing, I will."

He nodded, although he did not look too reassured, retrieved the scanner again and held it so that they could both see the screen.

Her radio suddenly activated. _"Sheppard to Teyla."_

She felt Rodney jump in fright next to her, and he hung his head down and tightly shut his eyes as he wheezed painfully. She shushed him and moved her hand down his right side and held onto his hip; the only place on that side which was uninjured.

She tapped her radio and spoke quietly, "John, it is good to hear your voice."

_"We only just regained consciousness. Lieutenant Harvey is missing. We found the remains of a stun grenade, it took us all out."_

Teyla frowned down at the scanner, as the solitary life sign a short distance away from her and Rodney drew nearer. She could see that he was weaving between cover, so was probably been aware that they could track him. He would certainly be able to find them very easily as the blood Rodney had shed while being dragged clearly indicated where they had gone.

"We require your immediate assistance. Lieutenant Harvey found us. Rodney has been shot several times in the arm and chest and is losing a lot of blood."

John's voice hardened in reply, _"We're at least a mile away from you. I'll get Ronon to run back to Atlantis and call for a medical team and a Jumper."_

Teyla heard a mumbled affirmative in the background.

_"We're coming towards your position now,"_ John said breathlessly. _"Try to keep it together until we arrive."_

"I fear that you may be too late," Teyla said very quietly as she continued to look at the third life sign only a few metres away. "He is here." She quickly cut the connection and unwrapped herself from Rodney. She tilted the P90 up ready and used her ears and eyes rather than the scanner as she stood up and pressed her back against the tree trunk. Rodney slumped sideways where she had been sitting a moment ago with him resting upon her, but he managed to stay breathing and she could see that he was still conscious. His injured arm trailed uselessly on the ground and the bandage was already stained pink.

He tilted his head back as he breathed noisily through his gritted teeth with his eyes screwed shut in agony.

Teyla had a quick look around the tree and was rewarded with splinters of wood right where her head had been as the ra-tat-tat of the Lieutenant's P90 forced bullets once more in her direction.

Rodney cried out below her, "What do you _want?"_

"She's a Wraith!" The man replied, as though it was obvious.

Teyla thought that he sounded slightly unsound of mind. Rodney was sniffling and moved his unhurt arm up to hold his chest as his breaths rasped. Shouting had taken a lot out of him, and Teyla felt icy fear gripping her that he did not have a lot of time left.

Rodney continued to speak, but quieter than before, "Doesn't look like one to me. Have you ever even seen one? Pasty skin, white hair, poor dental care, bad diet? i.e. nothing like Teyla!"

"You're still alive then, McKay," the man shouted. "Why do you keep getting in the way! If you _want_ to die before her, then so be it! But you were the last person I wanted to get hurt. You're just about the only one to stand up against them."

Teyla frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who did you lose to make you this way?"

The man laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Teyla knew she had him. Hidden madness could be powerfully motivated and finally drawn to the surface by grief. She had seen it amongst her own people and upon many other worlds before.

Rodney grunted and held up the scanner. Teyla saw that several more life signs had now appeared at the edge. Events would rapidly change now.

Distant gunfire echoed around the empty landscape. She crouched down and rested a hand in the centre of Rodney's chest. He murmured, but he was close to losing consciousness. She rubbed him lightly and then peered around the tree again from the low angle. The Lieutenant was no longer looking at her, but was instead facing away towards the hills in the direction of the life signs. He backed up towards the tree Teyla and Rodney were using for cover.

Teyla was close enough now to incapacitate the man, but instead of shooting him, her retribution was swift, brutal and merciless as she spun the P90 over and used the butt to deliver a sharp blow between his shoulder blades. He silently crumpled to the ground and lay still. She tapped her radio and told the others to hurry, but to hold their fire as the danger had now passed.

She hastily removed all the weaponry from the Lieutenant and used zip-ties from her vest to bind his hands and feet. She then returned to Rodney and was distressed to find that he was now sprawled upon his back and was struggling to breathe. She gently rolled him onto his unhurt side, and held him there with one hand on his chest so that she could monitor his breathing and the other holding his uninjured hand tightly.

Ronon must have run like the very Wraith themselves were chasing him, as Teyla heard the whine of Puddle Jumper engines just before John and the marines found her.

The marines secured the Lieutenant while John came over to Teyla and crouched down. He rested a hand on Rodney's back and frowned at the blood-stained bandages before he glanced up at Teyla. His fear and concern was plain to see, and Teyla allowed her own mask to slip and reveal a little of her inner thoughts to him too. She pressed her lips into a grim line while they both kept holding onto Rodney and refused to let him go. They would not allow Rodney to slip away in physical contact, and certainly not in death.

Only the medical team, lead by a frantic Carson, were able to convince them otherwise.

Teyla was herded into the back of the Jumper while the marines took their prisoner and secured him to a chair in the cockpit.

Carson had several team members with him and Rodney soon had needles jabbed into various parts of his body and a breathing tube pushed down his throat.

Teyla was in a daze though, now that it was over. The adrenaline was still coursing around her as she looked down at Rodney's still and almost lifeless face. He was dying in front of her and she refused to let it be that way. She knelt down beside him on his unhurt side, while the medical team were too busy working to splint and rewrap his right arm to notice or shoo her away. She grasped his hand tightly but it was cool to touch and remained fearfully limp in her own. It was completely wrong. Rodney should be using his hands and arms for gesturing or experimenting on new Ancient artefacts by touch. His face and shining bright blue eyes should be lit up in enthusiasm or annoyance or glee. But his face was devoid of all emotion and the only colour there was the redness of blood as it slid from his mouth.

John placed his hands on Teyla's shoulders and drew her away from Rodney. "Let them work," he said. And Teyla grudgingly let go of that cold, immobile hand and rested it down on the stretcher.

She allowed herself to be held back by John once they reached the Jumper Bay and the waiting gurney whisked Rodney away for surgery before she could blink and recover from her trance.

The marines took their fellow to the brig and John requested that Teyla get herself checked out and they could worry about the debriefing later. _After Rodney either lived or died._ She thought, as she gathered herself together and took several deep breaths in a calming meditation that for a moment even she struggled to master just as Rodney had done. It would not do for anyone to see her without her stoicism, so she hid her emotions from John, although she did not mind him seeing it a little and knew that he would not ever hold it against her.

She headed to the infirmary to get checked and to begin a solemn and difficult vigil.


	6. Saturday and Sunday

**Chapter Six - Saturday 1.32am, Atlantis**

The man responsible for Rodney's condition was safely secured in the Brig. As much for his own protection as for everyone else's.

Rodney may not be the easiest man to get along with, but he had a lot of friends on Atlantis, many of whom he probably did not even realise he had. Sheppard was concerned about possible retaliatory attacks, from himself and Ronon included. So he had posted his most trusted men to stand guard and make sure the Lieutenant was unharmed before the Daedalus arrived to escort him back to Earth to face court-martial for what he had done.

It turned out that the Lieutenant had once served with a man who was killed in the siege a year ago. It had taken him all this time to get assigned to Atlantis in order to exact revenge. Why he had thought that retribution would be served by killing Teyla though, no-one knew. There was no reason apart from her minor Wraith connection which had never made anyone act with such fear and violence before. Dr Weir had ordered that no-one should go near him or question him before the Daedalus arrived to take him back to Earth.

After many anxious hours of waiting while he worked on Rodney in the operating theatre, Carson finally came through the door and approached Teyla and the rest of her team where they sat in the waiting area. They all got up as he neared and Teyla braced herself for what he was about to say.

Carson looked exhausted, but hopeful, although Teyla did not allow that to influence her emotions until he had spoken.

John stepped forwards first, "How is he?"

Carson sighed, not necessary a good sign, but Teyla allowed him some grace as it may well have been a sound of tiredness, rather than one of futility. He said, "The bullets broke Rodney's upper arm in two places, one staying lodged in the bone. The third one went right through his arm and fractured a rib on its way into his chest. Which actually means he's incredibly lucky. If his arm and rib hadn't slowed the bullet down as much as they did, we wouldn't be having this conversation now."

Teyla furrowed her brow and felt a little light headed with the worry... or perhaps she was tired too?

"I won't lie to you; he's in a bad way, but we're doing our best."

Teyla said smoothly, "That is all we can ask."

Carson turned and looked towards the door on the other side of the infirmary, "We're keeping him in the isolation room for now so that he can be closely monitored in private."

"Can we see him?" Ronon asked.

Carson frowned and then looked at each of them in turn, "Aye, but only one person, and just for a few minutes."

Teyla looked at John, she felt she really needed to see him as it she felt it was her fault he was so badly hurt. It should have been her in his place and this was the only penance she could have.

John nodded his approval and Ronon did likewise.

Teyla followed Carson, who paused just before they went through. He turned to her and lowered his voice, "We've got him hooked up to a lot of machines. Try not to be too alarmed. We're keeping him sedated and on a ventilator to help him breathe while his punctured lung heals and he regains his strength."

"I will just be glad to see that he is still alive."

"Ach, I know what you mean. He lost a lot of blood and he's still very weak. Please try to keep it brief."

Teyla nodded and steeled herself as she went through the door.

Teyla had some difficulty spotting Rodney in amongst all the machinery, which seemed more alive than he did, even with Carson's warning. It did not help that he had a tube coming from his mouth, obscuring most of his pale face. He had grey circles around his eyes and thick bandages wrapped around both his upper right arm and ribcage. The white sheet was pulled up to cover his lower half so that his chest was visible. Various and numerous bags of fluids connected to him were draining into his body and Teyla furrowed her brow that he could be rendered this way - going from a loud mouthed, abrasive man so full of life and vitality, to this - with nothing but antiseptic smelling sterile plastic and metal keeping him functioning.

It looked like a breeze would break him, like a leaf falling from a tree in autumn, if anyone allowed it.

She was unsure what to say to soothe him in his induced sleep, so instead she took his cool hand in her own, careful to avoid touching the needle threaded into the back and taped down. She held onto him as she sang a short and quiet song in praise of the Ancestors and graciously asking for their help. It was usually melodious, but her voice was weak and breathy with worry, and she could not help it as the tune synchronised with the beating of Rodney's heart signalled by the monitor's beeps nearby.

In order to survive and recover from such an ordeal, Rodney would need great strength of body and mind. Teyla had thought him weak when they first met. After all, how could anyone be strong, coming from a place without Wraith, where not everyone had to become a warrior out of necessity like the Athosians? But he had proven her wrong many times and she hoped that he would do so again now.

The Earth doctors were amazing, there was no denying that. But she had learnt that even they had a limit to the extent of the miracles they could perform. Because even they could not make a person's heart keep going if it did not want to continue beating.

Her voice faltered and trailed off. She gently caressed Rodney's fingers and placed a hand on his face. His skin was cool to touch, but the monitor signalled that he _was_ still alive.

Carson came back then and Teyla released her grasp on Rodney's hand and face and looked away as though she had been caught doing a forbidden act. When she glanced up at Carson, he did not alter his expression, nor did he act like he had seen anything untoward, and for that Teyla was grateful.

He said, "I think that's enough for now. You should get some rest, lass. You look dead on your feet."

"Thank you, Carson."

"Don't thank me yet," he said, as he noted down some readings on the clipboard he had retrieved from the end of Rodney's bed.

Teyla placed a hand on his forearm, "But I must, for without you, Rodney would not be alive at all."

"Aye, well I'm just trying to keep him that way. I'll make sure I call you if there's any change in his condition."

With that, Teyla bowed her head and left. She could not help the heavy knot in the pit of her stomach at Carson's words.

After informing Ronon and John of Rodney's condition she bade them goodnight. She trusted that Rodney was being well looked after and there really was nothing more she could do there.

----------

**Sunday Afternoon, Atlantis**

Teyla headed down to the infirmary once more upon receiving word that Rodney should be waking up that afternoon. The previous day had been spent in great anxiety about Rodney's injuries and many de-briefings to find out exactly what had happened.

Any sense of relief she had had that the perpetrator (and her would-be attacker) was now known and secured, was overridden by concern for Rodney.

John never seemed to leave Rodney's side when they were not in meetings, and had to be pried away from him just to eat and sleep. Teyla allowed herself a small smile at that. She was more in control of her emotional attachment to Rodney, but only just. She believed that things would run their course whether she was there or not. As the breathing tube had been removed the previous night, she was confident that he was getting better.

If John were not so dedicated, then she would indeed have been with Rodney all the time herself. Even though he was resting, he needed the company and to know that when he did awaken, he was not alone in what he was going through because he had not been abandoned.

Had his condition been worsening, then she too would spend every moment by his side with John. She just held more patience that John did.

As she entered the infirmary, she rolled her eyes a little when she found that John was still there. Rodney had been taken out of the isolation room that morning and had less equipment around him than before. He was still well wrapped up in bandages though, but his face had gained a healthier pinkish tinge and the circles around his eyes were fading.

She approached John and laid a hand on his shoulder, "I have come to relieve you from your sentry duty."

He jumped and spun his head around, "Teyla!"

She offered him a smile and said, "It would be beneficial for you to have something to eat. I assure you, I will call if Rodney so much as twitches."

John blinked a little bleary eyed. Teyla did not like to think that he had been napping, but would not put it past him. Rodney was as trying and tiring in unconsciousness and injury as he was at all other times.

He looked down at Teyla's hand and frowned, "Are they for him?"

Teyla smiled as she lifted the flowers up. "Yes."

John raised his eyebrows and looked towards their sleeping charge. "He's not allergic to those is he?"

"I assure you that these have been cleared by the botany department and they do not contain anything which would harm Rodney."

"How do they...?"

"They have a list."

John looked at her incredulously and then back at Rodney. "Did he...?"

"I am unsure how the list was obtained, perhaps Rodney told them and they then made sure not to show or keep anything which might hurt him."

John looked at Rodney and uttered an incredulous, "Huh, well how about that..."

When John did not give any hint that he was about to move, Teyla cleared her throat. He glanced at her and said, "Oh, yes. Right. Going to get food. I'll see you later."

"Take your time," she said as he stood up and she took his place at Rodney's side.

When Rodney began stirring an hour later, Teyla watched and waited. She decided that she really needed to speak with Rodney alone before calling John as she had promised. After all, it was her fault that he had been hurt. John and Ronon had already forgiven her, as they felt responsible too for leaving Teyla and Rodney back on the planet without their protection. They also kept on reiterating the truth that _none_ of it was her truly her fault, but the doings of a man who was less than sane.

She still felt terribly bad though, because all of Rodney's wounds were meant for her. Each time he had been hurt, it had always been her fault for not anticipating that the attacks were going to come and not being able to foresee the consequences. He stood in the way of the bullets and nearly died for it, so she felt she was the one who should be there when Rodney awoke.

She saw his eyelids moving and a hint of blue underneath. But instead of opening his eyes as she hoped, Rodney shuddered and moaned; a long and low mournful sound that made Teyla's insides curl tightly in sympathy.

Carson was already there before she could even turn around to call for assistance. Teyla moved back while he checked Rodney and topped up one of the medications he was providing to ease Rodney's pain. He spoke some reassuring words and gave Rodney some water before placing a hand on Teyla's shoulder briefly. He gave her a look of reassurance before he left.

When Teyla turned back to look at Rodney, he was gazing at her fearfully. She furrowed her brow, "It is alright, the man who hurt you is locked in the brig. You and I are quite safe."

Rodney's expression changed to one of relief. His voice was gruff when he spoke; a legacy of the breathing tube he had only recently had removed. "What happened, back on the planet... after...?"

Teyla quickly brought him up to date and Rodney was looking sleepy by the time she finished. His eyes caught the flowers by his bed and his expression changed to one of incredulity. "Flowers? My allergies! Aren't they for girls anyway?"

Teyla glared at him and his mouth hung open slackly and then his lips tilted further as he caught her stern expression. "Oh. Um, did _you_ bring them?"

"I did. But if you would rather not have any gifts, I can take them away."

Rodney crumpled and sighed as he looked down at himself. "No. They... they're nice. Thanks."

Teyla reached forwards and took Rodney's left hand in both of hers. He looked down at where they were touching and appeared slightly timid at the contact.

"Thank you, Rodney. However unintentionally, it was you who saved me from being injured. Although I am sure that is small consolation to you now."

He flinched away from the touch and blushed furiously, as he stuttered, "S'okay."

Whether he really meant it or not was unclear. Teyla found Earth men to be so modest, especially Rodney. It was completely unnecessary for him to be so overly nervous and sensitive.

He tensed up, but was forced to relax with a pained sigh when the movement aggravated his injuries.

Teyla said, "I would very much like to continue teaching you the art of meditation when you are feeling better."

He frowned and narrowed his eyes, "I'm not sure about that. It wasn't so good last time."

He clearly did not comprehend his error, or the ingratitude in his words as he looked back at her blankly while he waited for her to reply. It genuinely looked as though he was innocent from any known wrongdoing, and she knew that Rodney often had difficulty filtering out unpleasant comments. Like he was unsure when to tell the truth and when he really should not. It was just the way he was.

As a diplomat, Teyla knew that many a heated word had led to a falling out between people, so she took a deep breath and smiled at him before she said, "Although I am deeply troubled by the extent of your injuries, it is agreeable to me that you are getting better. You are a good friend, Rodney."

He looked confused at first, as though unsure if her last words were true or complimentary. But then his face altered and a huge lopsided, yet charming, grin spread out across his face, "Uh, thanks?"

Teyla laughed, but not at him, and grasped his hand firmly in her own. It was pleasantly warm, so different from the last time she had touched him, and the muscles reacted and curled against her touch to prove to her in no uncertain terms that the man before her was very much alive and in time he would be well again too.

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**A few weeks later, Atlantis**

Teyla sat on the bed in Rodney's quarters while the owner of said bed sat opposite her with a jar in his hand, looking grim. His colour was back and his arm was now in a sling against his body while the bones knitted together.

He had expressed a desire to return to work and dial back on the medication. It was clear that he was deeply frustrated by his frail body's disobedience and slow healing.

She hoped that he would feel a lot better once he could work to his full potential again, without his sharp mind being addled by drugs, nor his one armed disability and pain slowing his progress, speech and flow of ideas.

She knew he had been speaking with Heightmeyer too, although how much force had been applied to him to make him talk to her, Teyla was unsure. Everyone knew what had happened to him, especially Teyla, who had witnessed it firsthand, but getting him to tell his side of the story would be a major undertaking as he was still reeling from the trauma.

He had even confided in her on one of his bad days, that he still needed assistance to dress because he was so afraid that he might get tangled in his clothes, fall over, and end up back in the infirmary again on the horse pills. Not that Teyla knew what a horse was, but it did not sound good, and neither did the fact that he had not yet refused the helper nurse Carson sent without him even asking.

He had been prescribed some fairly heavy duty painkillers from the infirmary, but had approached Teyla to see if she could help him too. She could understand and was easily persuaded to assist in any way she could to speed his recovery and lessen his distress.

The meditation she was teaching him was for pain management and relaxation, but should also assist with the psychological impact he had suffered from nearly dying so horrifically, painfully, and essentially pointlessly too. He had been badly shaken by the whole incident and was now very depressed, but he _was_ very gradually getting better under the support and guidance of the many friends he had around him.

He held up the clear jar and Teyla saw that there were some metal fragments in the bottom. He shook it and they tinkled around inside the glass unpleasantly. He flinched and looked disgusted and more than a little fearful.

Teyla frowned, "Are they...?"

"The bullets? Yes. It's hard to believe they were inside me, and even though they're so small, they caused so much damage."

Carson must have given them to him, either that or he had asked for them. She was unsure why they had been kept at all after the surgical removal of them from his body, but suspected it was another Earth custom she was unaware of.

She made a mental note to discretely mention the bullets to Carson, just to make sure that Rodney was supposed to have them and had not taken them when unauthorised to do so. She was worried that Rodney having such a grim reminder of how close to death he had come, might significantly slow down his recovery.

She took the jar from him and looked inside. He was right, they were small, and all traces of blood and tissue had been expertly cleaned away, just leaving tiny pieces of metal. She grimaced and leant over the side of the bed. She opened the lower drawer of the bedside cabinet, dropped the jar inside and closed it firmly as she said, "Do not think of them. You are healing, that is all that matters."

"I suppose," he mumbled as he moved his free hand up and picked at the cloth of the sling supporting his broken arm.

She could see that he was slipping away from her as he became more and more downcast, so she quickly spoke to change the subject and draw him out of the despair he was rapidly sinking into before her. She said, "Have I ever thanked you, Rodney? Because you saved my life many times."

His expression lifted and he looked at her with a lopsided smirk, "I count fifty eight times now. Not including how often you might have said it while I was asleep."

She tilted her head forwards in an invitation which he hastily accepted, perhaps too quickly as their foreheads collided sharply. Instead of leaving it at that though, he leant in closer until she could feel his breath upon her. He moved his uninjured arm around Teyla's back and held her as he said, "And you saved mine too back on the planet."

Teyla drew away in puzzlement as he elaborated, "Without you, I would've bled out or been asphyxiated or he would've finished the job."

She smiled at him and said, "You are most welcome. I am very glad that he did not."

He let go of her and looked sheepish.

She moved her hand forwards and placed it against his flank as she said, "I would like to think you would have done the same for me."

"Of course," he said without any hesitation.

She squeezed him gently and he sighed and closed his eyes. He still had many weeks to go before he was completely well again. Once his physical wounds were healed and the physiotherapy 'torture,' as Rodney had called it with a twinkle in his eye, was over, then she hoped his psychological symptoms would also resolve.

Teyla leant back and let go of his side. She nodded at Rodney that they should begin and she made sure he closed his eyes before she did likewise. She took several deep breaths and said softly, "Relax and imagine a clear blue sky. Take calming breaths, in through the mouth and out through the nose..."

"Way ahead of you there," Rodney mumbled sleepily.

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**The End!**

_Hope you liked it!_


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